I'd honestly say this is a huge part of it. You can still be a reactionary or shithead on the internet, but if you're used to getting your news on TV you're practically a lost cause. Or at least that's how I feel on some of my family.

[–] Tachanka@hexbear.net 29 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It's not entirely an age thing. Yes to an extent neuroplasticity decreases, attitudes become ossified, struggle of youth becomes forgotten, the material comforts of "getting yours" etc.

But I think most of it is indoctrination. If it were simply age then that would mean most people on here are going to become conservatives in old age and I just don't see that happening. I'm over 30 and I keep moving left. I was much more reactionary at 15 than I am now. I think we have access to information previous generations did not, however we also go out of our way to vet sources, etc. There are lots of young people who get caught in a reactionary echo chamber. In particular people over 40 have been taught that Israel is the "only democracy in the middle east" etc.

Mark Ames of Radio War Nerd, a Gen X guy, went on Chapo, and talked about how he was a Republican Zionist in the 1980s and one of the things that got him to open his eyes was going to Israel and seeing how much it didn't live up to what he was told about it. The 2nd thing was getting spied on by the ADL for being an anti-apartheid activist. Even though he was a Republican Zionist and Jewish, the fucking ADL was spying on him, for being left wing on an issue totally unrelated to Israel. That made him move left. So it's not just age, it's escaping your reactionary echo chamber.

[–] emizeko@hexbear.net 3 points 2 years ago

for anyone who doesn't know, ADL stands for Apartheid Defense League

[–] goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org 21 points 2 years ago

The Bible, hate or racism?

[–] SacredExcrement@hexbear.net 17 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Materialism. Lotta people in that bracket got theirs and stopped caring about anyone else forever ago

[–] UlyssesT@hexbear.net 11 points 2 years ago

More precisely, commodity fetishism and consumerism.

[–] ferristriangle@hexbear.net 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The other half of that equation is that the people who didn't "get theirs" and who belong to disproportionately impoverished demographics also don't tend to live into old age as frequently as people who have more privilege and who can afford the medical care that is associated with aging.

So at least some portion of this trend is due to survivorship bias.

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 1 points 2 years ago

I think there's a dating component to it. The vast majority of young people are required to have a more collective attitude to social norms in their peer groups as a necessity to being a dateable human being. Deviating too far into contrarianism (relative to the rest of the age group) results in becoming an undateable incel.

A lot of older people give up on dating, and the social pressures that go along with it disappear with it. Same goes for those who have already paired off, had kids and created families where they've now also disconnected from most former friends because the family unit becomes 97% of their life. Staying together for the kids creates its own entirely different social pressure as well and I'm sure there's some pretty negative influences that it causes.

[–] zed_proclaimer@hexbear.net 9 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Brain calcifies and empathy is lost. Idk if this is true but it feels true

[–] sooper_dooper_roofer@hexbear.net 11 points 2 years ago

Brain calcifies

only if ur white

[–] FumpyAer@hexbear.net 11 points 2 years ago

Also, over the years, supporting Israel forces moral compromises that add up to excusing proven genocide.